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Roundtable: Which middle-six forward and ‘Ekholm Jr.’ defenceman should the Oilers target in trade?
Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/round...nceman-should-edmonton-oilers-target-in-trade
What a Friday it was for the NHL.
You had the surprise Tristan Jarry trade early in the morning, only for it to be outdone later that night by Quinn Hughes getting dealt to the Minnesota Wild.
There were certainly some smoke screens last week about a potential Jarry trade not happening due to the Penguins’ unwillingness to retain salary, couple with the fact that reports started to surface the Oilers were looking to address other areas of their team.
Among those areas, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta’s suggested, was that the Oilers could be looking to acquire a physical, “Ekholm Jr.” type of defenceman, and another middle-six forward.
I polled some of the Oilersnation crew about who could be the best target.
Who would be the best targets?
Tyler Yaremchuk: The first defenceman that comes to mind is Mario Ferraro from the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have been a sneaky competitive team so far this season and have taken a big step forward, so it’s far from a guarantee that they sell but if the Sharks fall out and GM Mike Grier makes Ferraro available, then the Oilers should be all over it. Ferraro does a lot of things well and his $3.25m cap hit is very attractive. He can play both sides of the blueline as well, which the Oilers value. If the Sharks don’t want to move Ferraro and the Oilers need to check down… what about a reunion with John Klingberg? It wouldn’t cost a lot.
There are way more forwards on the market then defenceman, as usual, which means the prices should be lower and the Oilers would have options. Alex Tuch is at #1 on my list. It would cost a lot but I think there’d be interest from both sides in signing a long-term extension this summer and he’s a legitimate play driving winger and would make the Oilers forward group even scarier. I also like the idea of Boone Jenner. Low cap hit, positional versatility, and the ability to kill penalties. His game translates well to the playoffs.
Baggedmilk: I’m so bad at these games because I never know who is available unless they’re right in my face. That said, the defenceman I would love to see in an Oilers uniform is the one that will never actually happen. Of course, I’m talking about Rasmus Andersson. The guy is annoying, plays with an edge, has some offensive touch, and would add a different layer to the mix on D that the Oilers don’t currently have. That would be fun if Calgary would ever do it, or even the player for that matter. Up front, it would be amazing to get a guy like Ryan O’Reilly to really reinforce the centre depth. The math is almost impossible and the guy is getting older, but that’s the exact type of forward I’d love to see get added. Gritty, skilled, and able to defend? Perfect.
Apr 6, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (4) checks Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (91) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Liam Horrobin: The Seattle Kraken have began to slide back down the standings after a good start to the season. If that trend continues, could Jared McCann become available? He’s a former 40 goal scorer but a consistent 20+ goal guy, which is precisely what the Oilers need. McCann has one year left earning $5 million annually with a 10 team no trade list. There was speculation over the summer on his future in Seattle, per David Pagnotta, so the will to move him has lingered before. Brock Nelson cost the Colorado Avalanche Calum Ritchie, a first and a third round pick, so would they be willing to move Isaac Howard in the deal or maybe they can get away with moving Quinn Hutson instead.
Caprice St. Pierre:
As desirable as an Ekholm junior defencemen would be — and rightfully so — let’s be realistic here, the Oilers can’t have him. Not because he doesn’t exist, or because no one wants to come to Edmonton, but because the return isn’t manageable. Ask yourself this: what do the Oilers have to give? We’re not talking about your run of the mill, third pairing D man here. We’re talking about a two-way defenseman who can move the puck, be responsible, keep a calm composure, slot guys into place, and if we’re getting greedy here, be physical.
So when recalling Zach Hyman’s hat trick against the Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers redemption from another loss to Buffalo, think back to 20-year-old Axel Sandin-Pelika, because that’s the guy you want, and that’s the guy — baring any miracles — you can’t have.
If you’re looking for a middle-six forward the Oilers could add, he’s out there. Perhaps Josh Doan in Buffalo? Or Ryan O’Reilly in Nashville who still has some gas left in the tank and enough accountability to force a team through a rough patch? Marco Rossi would have been nice, though he’s just been spoken for.
All three would be fine middle six centres for the Edmonton Oilers. They range in age, 23 to 34, and salary cap, $925,000 AAV all the way to $5 million. They’re legitimate players that could help this Oilers roster now. But the problem hasn’t changed.
The Oilers still have no picks, their prospects still aren’t good enough to get a defenceman and centre, their salary cap situation is too tied up. And let’s not forget, Stan Bowman just doubled the salary for his starting goaltender.
In a perfect world, the Oilers could have ASP and Josh Doan without giving up star players like Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but it’s not, and Edmonton is forced to see it through with who they’ve got.
Oct 31, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) skates with the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies: Finding a dance partner to trade with is difficult right now. There are so few defined sellers because the standings are so tight, especially in the eastern conference.
The San Jose Sharks are one point out of a wildcard as of writing, but you have to think they still want to acquire assets. They already own the Oilers first-round pick, for example.
The Oilers probably want another right-handed defenceman with only Evan Bouchard as the righty in the top-four. With that said, Mario Ferraro is a very intriguing name. He’s a 27-year-old, rugged, left-shot who wears an “A” with the Sharks. Playing in their second pair and top penalty kill, his contract of $3.25-million expires this year.
He’s been a lifer so far in northern California and doesn’t profile as a guy the Sharks would be in a hurry to part from, but they do need to make room eventually for Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin. I’ll add this, Vincent Desharnais is on LTIR right now, but since he’s big and a righty, I wouldn’t rule out a reunion, but he doesn’t have any top-4 upside.
Another name: Brandon Carlo. The Maple Leafs sunk a huge acquisition cost in getting him and he’s underwhelmed. Maybe a change of scenario would help for a guy, who with the Bruins averaged 4.66 hits a game. What about Nick Perbix on the Predators blueline? His underlying metrics are alright on a bad Preds team and he’s just 27-year-old.
If I could just wish-cast a middle-six forward, I can’t be talked off Ryan O’Reilly. His impact on the Oilers roster as a hard two-way center, who also won the freakin’ Conn Smythe, would be transformational. However, the asking price would be simply too much. So with nothing original to add, I’ll cast my vote into the Alex Tuch ballot.
Zach Laing: Mario Ferraro is a guy I’ve kept coming back to. There’s the San Jose connection there, with Stan Bowman picking up Jake Walman from Mike Greir last year, so it makes sense they could circle back for another deal. The Walman acquisition seemingly came out of nowhere. His name was never on any of the big boards, and that, too, makes me think the Oilers could try and target players whose names aren’t out there in a big way.
One team worth keeping an eye on is the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have bigger names like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, who each have two years remaining at $5.13-million and $5-million cap hits, which could be very interesting options, but the money would be tough to make work. But other guys like Kevin Hayes (UFA, $3.5-million cap hit) and Anthony Mantha (UFA, $2.5-million cap hit) could be options that make a bit more sense.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].
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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/round...nceman-should-edmonton-oilers-target-in-trade